Disproportionate collapse of a cable-stayed bridge

The disproportionate collapse of an existing cable-stayed bridge was investigated at the numerical level by employing a validated model from the literature and the applied-element method. An earthquake input was used for the numerical simulations and applied at increasing intensity to assess the bridge response. The role of redundancy in the bridge structural scheme was proved to be a strategic measure for avoiding disproportionate collapse and improving robustness. Therefore, an alternative configuration of the structural scheme was assessed as a possible countermeasure to improve the response of the cable-stayed bridge by providing different loading paths against disproportionate collapse. New redundancy indices that account for the system reserve resources are also introduced.